Now is the time to highlight the Mississippi Gulf Coast, tourism chief says

As Coastal Mississippi looks toward a promising summer, I would like to invite you to join us in celebrating and highlighting the importance of the travel and tourism industry during National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), from May 2-8, 2021.

This annual celebration of the contributions and accomplishments of the U.S. travel industry will highlight the power of travel and the industry’s role in bringing back our vibrant communities, restoring the U.S. economy, rebuilding our workforce and reconnecting America.

The 38th annual NTTW arrives at an opportune moment to recognize the importance to the U.S. economy of initiating a post-pandemic travel recovery. According to the U.S. Travel Association, travel spending is down nearly $500 billion, costing the U.S. economy nearly $1.1 trillion, and the number of travel-supported jobs decreased by 34%, from 17 million in 2019 to just 11 million in 2020.

Tourism is the lifeblood of Mississippi’s tri-county coastal region, and while the impact of COVID-19 has inarguably been indelible, Coastal Mississippi has nonetheless seen successes and growth in the past year as one of the highest performing destinations in the nation in 2020. While nationally, room demand was down 35% between December 2020 and February 2021, Coastal Mississippi only saw a decrease of 15.5%. Additionally, Coastal Mississippi’s occupancy only decreased by 9.9%, compared to the national average decrease of 33.3%.

There is no doubt that this has been an incredibly challenging time for the travel and tourism industry worldwide, but this week serves as a great reminder of the importance of the industry to our coastal communities and state as a whole. This weeklong event highlights the remarkable and resilient spirit of the industry and our incredibly dedicated workforce. As we look towards a promising future, Coastal Mississippi is perfectly poised to welcome visitors to a destination with an abundance of safe, enjoyable adventures, small coastal communities offering unique experiences, plenty of space to roam, and Southern hospitality at its finest.

We encourage the community to contribute to the conversation and highlight the importance of the industry throughout the week, using the hashtag #MSCoastLife. For those looking to learn more about our destination, take advantage of our Coast Champions hospitality training program, which is free and available online for any organization or individual involved in the tourism industry, directly or indirectly. For more information, visit www.gulfcoast.org/partners/coast-champions.

Please understand that Coastal Mississippi is here to support our partners in your efforts as we continue to rise up to our challenges and rebound together. I thank every single member of our wonderful community for everything they do to make our beautiful Secret Coast so special and am exceptionally grateful to our Coastal Mississippi staff for their unwavering dedication and hard work. We truly believe that our strong community will emerge from this with an unmatched power to heal and rebuild together.

Milton Segarra is the CEO of Coastal Mississippi, the area’s tourism bureau.